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Psych
CHAP 2
45
Psychology
Not Applicable
01/18/2007

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Term
Hypothesis
Definition
A specific prediction about some phenomenon
Term
Theory
Definition
A set of formal statements that explains how and why certain events are related to one another
Term
Variable
Definition
Any characteristics or factor that can vary
Term
Operational definition
Definition
Definition of a variable in terms of the specific procedures used to produce or measure it
Term
Unobtrusive measures
Definition
Measures that record behavior in a way that keeps participants unaware that they are being observed
Term
Archival measures
Definition
Records or documents that already exist
Term
Informed consent
Definition
The APA guideline saying that when people agree to participate in research they should be given a full description of the procedures, informed about any risks involved, and told they are free to withdraw from the study at any time without penalty
Term
Descriptive research
Definition
Research seeking to identify how humans and other animals behave, particularly in natural settings
Term
Case study
Definition
An in-depth analysis of an individual, group, or event
Term
Naturalistic observation
Definition
Observation of behavior as it occurs in a natural setting
Term
Survey research
Definition
Research based on obtaining information about a topic by administering questionnaires or interviews to many people.
Term
Population
Definition
All the individuals that we are interested in drawing conclusions about
Term
Sample
Definition
A subset of individuals drawn from a larger population
Term
Representative sample
Definition
A sample that reflects the important characteristics of the population.
Term
Random sampling
Definition
A method of sampling whereby every member of a populatoin has an equal probability of being chosen to participate in the survey
Term
Correlation research
Definition
Research based on measuring one variable (X) and another variable (Y), and then statistically determining whether X and Y are related
Term
Correlation coefficient
Definition
A statistic that indicates the direction and strength of the relation between two variables
Term
Positive correlation
Definition
A relationship in which higher scores on one variable are associated with higher scores on a second variable
Term
Negative correlation
Definition
A relationship in which higher scores on one variable are associated with lower scores on a second variable
Term
Scatterplot
Definition
A graph on which the correlation between two variables can be depicted
Term
Experiment
Definition
A research method based on a researcher manipulating one or more variables, measuring whether this manipulatoin influences other variables, and then attempting to control extraneous factors that might influence the outcome of the experiment
Term
Independent variable
Definition
The factor that is manipulated by the experiment
Term
Dependent variable
Definition
The factor that is measured by the exerpimenter and may be influenced by the independent variable
Term
Experimental group
Definition
The group that receives a treatment or an "active" level of the independent variable
Term
Control group
Definition
The group that is not exposed to the treatement or receives a zero level of independent variable
Term
Random assignment
Definition
A procedure in which each participant has an equal likelihood of being assigned any one group within an experiment
Term
Counterbalancing
Definition
A procedure in which the order of conditions is varied so that no condition has an overall advantage relative to others
Term
Internal validity
Definition
The degree to which an experiment supports clear, causal conclusions
Term
Confounding of variables
Definition
Research in which two variables are intertwined in such a way that we cannot determine which one has influenced a dependent variable
Term
Demand characteristics
Definition
Cues that participants pick up about the hypothesis of a study or about how they are supposed to behave
Term
Placebo
Definition
A substance that has no pharmacological effect
Term
Placebo effect
Definition
A research outcome in which people receiving treatment show a change in behavior because of their expectations, not because the treatment itself had any specific benefit
Term
Experimenter expectancy effects
Definition
The subtle and unintentional ways researchers influence their participants to respond in a manner that is consistent with the researcher's hypothesis
Term
Double-bind procedure
Definition
A research procedure wherein both the participant and experimenter are kept blind as to which experimental condition the participant is in.
Term
External validity
Definition
The degree to which the results of a study can be generalized to other people, settings, and conditions
Term
Replication
Definition
The process of repeating a study to determine whether the original findings can be duplicated
Term
Descriptive statistics
Definition
Statistics that allow us to summarize and describe the characteristics of a "set" (also called a "distribution") of data
Term
Mode
Definition
The most frequently occuring score in a distribution
Term
Median
Definition
The point that divides a distribution of scores in half when those scores are arranged in order from lowest to highest
Term
Mean
Definition
The arithmetic average of a set of scores
Term
Range
Definition
The difference between the highest and lowest score in a distribution
Term
Standard deviation
Definition
A measure of variability that takes into account how much each score in a distribution differs from the mean
Term
Inferential statistics
Definition
Statistics that tell us how likely it is that our findings are merely a chance occurence
Term
Statistical significance
Definition
The conclusion that is very unlikely that a particular finding occurred by chance alone
Term
Meta-analysis
Definition
A statistical procedure for combining the results of different studies that examine the same topic
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